Fiji has received 57.1 per cent of its initial COVAX allocation of AstraZeneca vaccines, with the remaining 43,200 doses due to arrive by the end of this month.
United Nations resident co-ordinator Sanaka Samarasinha told this newspaper their support to Fiji included the three 16-module GeneXpert testing machines and 20,000 cartridges to the Health Ministry.
He said they would soon hand over 60,000 swabs and 30,000 antigen rapid tests to the ministry.
More than 200,000 Fijians have received the first dose of the vaccine.
Mr Samarasinha said the UN was working with the ministry to estimate Fiji’s personal protective equipment (PPE) needs for the next six months.
“Solid science, reliable data, and analysis are critical for policy and decision-making, especially for the tough choices required during a pandemic,” he said.
“The UN is helping to establish the knowledge base and providing support to national policymakers and other partners by marshalling its expertise to examine the diverse impacts of the pandemic and providing daily technical information and policy advice.”
Mr Samarasinha said the entire UN system was mobilised behind the Government-led health response to distribute medical supplies, train health workers, build testing and tracing capacities, prevent the spread of the virus, particularly among especially vulnerable populations, disseminate information widely about prevention and containment measures, and support national response planning and decision-making.
